Pondering
by starthedemonhorse
Summary: Two boys cannot stop thinking about eachother, no matter how far apart they are... ZukoxSokka. Yaoi don't like don't read no flames THANKYOU COME AGAIN!
1. Zuko

Starthedemonhorse: Yay! Third fic! Leave reviews if you will; I'll try my best to tolerate flames, but don't get excited.

Series: Avatar: the last Airbander

Demonhorse: Enjoy si vous plait! (types madly at keyboard)

Pondering

_Damn him, that boy! I can't get him out of my head. What is it about him that makes me think about him so much? His ignorance; his weakness; his strength; his faithfulness; his smile; his eyes; his hair; his body; his lips; his voice………Wait! What am I talking about? His eyes? His hair? His body… his lips…Oh his lips, so soft and full… Hold on! Yet, it's so true, everything about him makes me think about him more. I can't help it, he's so gorgeous, I'm being obsessive about him…_

Prince Zuko roamed around his room on the large Fire Nation ship, while he should be getting rest. A knock on the door disrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." He said irritably, sitting down on his mattress. Opening the door was a short old man with very grey hair.

"What is it Uncle?" The Prince asked the man, standing up. Zuko knew that if his Uncle came to his quarters at this time of night something was wrong, or they had located the Avatar.

"The Avatar has been found by some of our men on an island not too far from here. We are headed there as we speak." The old man said, turning to leave. "Thank you." Prince Zuko said in farewell as his Uncle nodded and closed the door.

As the door was shut, the prince's heart started beating faster at the thought of seeing the Avatar, and his friend, the water tribe boy. Zuko's heart raced faster and faster thinking of Sokka, who he was thinking of earlier. The fire-bender lay down on his bed, and closed his eyes. Maybe sleep would calm him down, and before Zuko could ponder of anything else, he fell asleep.

_So, shall I continue? Send some reviews please, love to hear from you! Be gentle, third fic, maybe by the forth I'll stop saying that. Thanx! _


	2. SokkaZuko meeting

Starthedemonhorse: Hey peeps! I'm sorry! I'm very sorry this is late but I'm planning to have these chapters up more often if the teachers don't keep covering me in a pile of homework. Like I said I am planning to have these chapters earlier, maybe 2-3 days at most. Anyway, here are some reviewers that I got and would like to acknowledge:

Solesse: Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy where I'm taking this story! (but seriously, I don't exactly know where it's going either!)

Dracori: Thanxs for telling me how to spell Zuko's name! I don't know where I'd be if I continued to spell it the wrong way! Thanxs!

THE ADORABLE TWINS ASHLEY & KAYLEE: As you have asked, here is a longer chapter for my story. Enjoy! Sorry the other was so short.

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own anything.

Series: Avatar: The last Airbender

Starthedemonhorse: One last thing, this chapter may possibly contain yaoi, be warned.

Pondering: chapter 2

He turned uncomfortably under the sheets of his sleeping bag. It wasn't because the ground was very rocky and twigs poked you in the back, but because he was thinking (and arguing with himself for that matter) about a Prince of Fire, namely Prince Zuko (yay! I spelt it right for once!).

Sokka shifted again, with the reward of rolling on top of a particularly sharp rock.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed in a whisper, not wanting to wake his sleeping sister and the Avatar. The water tribe boy rubbed his back pouting, then laid down -carefully- and closed his eyes again. He knew it was very late and that they had to cross the island in order to continue over the ocean, but was unable to fall asleep. Sokka was much too busy thinking to try and sleep, so instead all he did was continue to ponder on the Fire Nation boy.

_Honestly, what is it about him that makes me want him so much? _Sokka questioned himself as he turned over for the thousandth time. _His movement, the way he handles things? The way he shows anger to Aang? I'm not sure, but it's there… _Sokka paused for a moment. _What about him in general, physically maybe? _Sokka stated the phrase more as a comment than a question. Sokka was getting tired, but still found himself awake.

"Yawn Good morning Aang." Katara said sleepily as she stretched out her arms. Aang bounded happily from where he was beside Apa and lunged onto Katara. "Good morning to you too Katara!" He said even more gleefully.

Sokka opened his eyes to watch them, but shut them again. He hadn't been able to get any sleep that night because he was very restless.

"Sokka! How are you this morning?" Katara said, coming over to her brother and shaking his shoulder.

"Go away." Sokka grumbled, hiding under his sheets. "Come on! We have to get moving so we don't get caught by the Fire Nation!" Katara said, shaking Sokka's shoulder even more violently.

_Maybe that's what I want, _Sokka thought, opening his eyes.

"O.K. I'm up, happy?" Sokka said, jumping up.

"Good! Now let's go!" Aang cried out, hopping up on his bison.

"Prince Zuko, we have arrived at the island." A guard said from outside of the fire prince's quarters. Zuko leaped out of his bed quickly and dressed without flaw. Once he was finished, he ran out the door and onto the ship deck.

"Uncle, look." He said to the old man beside him. Zuko pointed to a small smouldering pile of wood that had once obviously been a campfire. "They were here, and are not far away either." The man replied.

On the island, the scouts headed into the forest of the island, searching for the Avatar. Zuko's heart pounded faster and faster in his chest with each step he took into the under brush.

Sokka, I will find you…

"Katara, I hear something behind us." Sokka whispered as they rushed through the trees. "I hear it too." Aang whispered seriously from the front of the group. They didn't want to chance using Apa, so they decided to walk through the forest and meet the flying bison at the end of the island.

"Whatever it is, it's getting closer. Aang, get Katara out of here, I'll see what we're up against." Sokka said, then ran into the forest the opposite way, towards the noise.

_Is it you? Is that who I will find? _Step, step, step. _Can it really be you? I can't remember the last time you found us. _Step step step. The noises are coming closer, but they are so quiet it sounds as though there is only one person. Stepstepstep. Quick and fast, gentle steps.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Sokka yelled, running out into a small clearing, holding up his boomerang. Before Sokka even glimpsed his prey, he was in a strong headlock, on the ground with a body on top of him. His face in the dirt, he was only able to groan with pain as the body put a blade to his throat.

"Sokka…" That voice, he recognized it. "Prince Zuko…" Sokka mumbled turning his head to the side to glimpse the burned eye of the teenager.

"Where is the Avatar?" The Prince asked at once. Sokka took a minute to look at the position he and Zuko were in: Sokka was face down in the grass while Zuko sat with his legs spread to sit on top of the water tribe boy's back. Zuko was also leaning forward to hold a blade to the boy's throat, and Zuko was so close his cheek almost brushed Sokka's.

"And I should easily give you that information why?" Sokka said, trying to keep his voice steady, but truly Sokka was ready to blush uncontrollably.

"Well, I could always use you as bait…" Zuko said slyly. Zuko moved his head so Sokka couldn't see the mark of red go across his face.

_Damn it! Why did it have to be him! _Zuko questioned himself angrily.

"I don't think that would work, Katara and Aang are much to smart to try and come after me. I told them…" Sokka shut his mouth, but he had already prompted Zuko's cat-like curiosity. "Yes? What did you tell them exactly?" The fire prince asked, pulling the blade closer to the throat of the boy beneath him. "Heh, I told them that if I was ever to be captured to not come looking for me. And they promised they wouldn't." Sokka said proudly. He moved his own head as heat overcame his face, blushing heavily.

_What the hell, _Zuko thought mischeviously. _I think I'll taunt Sokka for a while, and then I can just take him back to the ship later, besides, he's also blushing. _Zuko leaned closer to the red face below him, just letting the side of his cheek finally brush the soft skin of Sokka.

Instinctively, Sokka moved his cheek closer to Zuko's, so they were right beside each other. "Sokka, do you ever think about me?" Zuko asked suddenly, even the question surprised Zuko as the words left his mouth.

"I never stop…" Sokka answered quietly, closing his eyes and turning his head so his neck was straining to be in front of Prince Zuko's.

The prince shifted his own position so Sokka now had his back on the ground. Zuko leaned farther down, his mouth longing for that of the other boy. Sokka closed the remaining space between the eager pair of lips, pressing them together with a soft force.

Zuko dropped the knife he was holding, and Sokka released the boomerang, so they were left on the ground.

Zuko slid his tongue along Sokka's bottom lip, resulting in Sokka moaning pleasantly and parting his lips for the other to enter.

Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko's waist and pulled his body closer so they were laying one on top of the other.

"Zuko, do you think about me?" Sokka whispered as the prince kissed along Sokka's neck.

"I can't stop, I never do…" Zuko replied, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts.

Sokka brought their lips back together, this time Zuko being the one to moan with glee and rest his hands on Sokka's hip and cheek, pulling both to come closer. Sokka smiled into the kiss, knowing now that his love pondered about him as well. "I'm glad that you do, Zuko." Sokka whispered contentedly.

_Snap, _a twig was stepped upon and the two boys broke apart, staring in the direction of the sound. Still lying on top of each other, Zuko whispered into Sokka's ear, "Would you like to come with me?" Sokka thought for a moment. There was no way that Sokka was going to leave Zuko now that he found out that they cared for the other. "I would love to." Sokka whispered back. "Good, now play along." Zuko whispered again as a guard revealed himself from the trees.

"Tell me now! Where are they!" Zuko yelled at Sokka. The water tribe boy smiled proudly, saying, "I'll never tell you bastard!" The guard motioned to the trees and three more guards came out. Zuko stood up, grabbing Sokka by the neck of his jacket and pulling him sharply up. "Fine, then we'll take you to the ship and wait for your little friends to come for you there." Zuko said, taking Sokka's hands behind his back and holding them, but what the guards didn't know was that Zuko was holding Sokka's hands gently and was even stroking them.

"The other two will be too far from here, we'll meet them at the other end of the island. For now we'll take him." Zuko said, nodding his head towards Sokka. The guards nodded to the prince and started walking towards the ship at the beach of the island.

Once on the ship, Zuko placed Sokka in his room and told him to get comfortable while Zuko went to talk with his Uncle.

Sokka sat on the bed as the door closed and he heard a locking sound. He removed his jacket because the room of the fire bender was extremely hot. He also took off his shoes and layed back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

_So, Zuko really does think about me too, interesting. What about Katara and Aang? What will happen to them when Zuko moves the ship to the other end of the island and his guards start looking for them? They might even start looking for me, even though they did really promise that they wouldn't come looking for me, they still would. It's just what they would do…_

Sokka turned as he heard footsteps out side the door, but paid no attention seeing as they were much to heavy to belong to Zuko. There was an unlocking sound at the door, and then the knob turned…

"Hello Sokka…"

_Ohhh! What will happen to Sokka! Leave at least 3 reviews for me to continue, it's not much to ask, honestly, I just need to know you like it. Flames will a) be noted b) ignored c) keep me warm, as I have heard from many other writers here, sorry but it's such a good statement and makes good use of flames d) my cat will eat you e) I will send my samurai to hunt you down. Take your choice. Anyway, thanx for reading! Love you all! _


	3. Holding Cells

Starthedemonhorse: Hello! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry this has taken so long but finally here it is! I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as the last and keep those reviews coming!

Disclaimer: What do you want from me an official statement? I don't own!

Series: Avatar: The last Airbender

"Hello Sokka…" The voice was deep and menacing, but Sokka only cared that it did not belong to Zuko and that he was going to be in trouble. The water tribe boy raised his club and ran towards the door at the tall figure. In a flash the intruder was in the room and Sokka was thrown to the ground.

Cringing, Sokka stood and held his club once more, but the fire-bender was too quick. Sokka was thrown to the ground again, landing hard on the wooden floor. "So, the Prince would like you to be his personal maid, or to keep a closer eye on you." Sokka did not recognize the voice, and stayed on the ground as to not be hurt any more than he already was.

The man was very muscular and much larger than Sokka, but he was dressed in the Fire-bender uniform, so he was presumably a guard. "What do you want?" Sokka said feircly, backing towards the wall. "You to be dead, we don't need any one like you here. How sad it will be when Prince Zuko comes back to find you dead and bloody on his nice bed." The guard said happily, raising his arms, level to Sokka's chest. Sokka closed his eyes and heard the blast of fire, but nothing touched him. Opening his eyes slowly, he was able to see the guard still standing, but smoke coming off of him. Slowly, the guard tumbled to the ground to reveal another figure.

This one was slim and tall, belonging to none other than Prince Zuko. "He won't be bothering us any more, but my Uncle will wonder about a missing guard…" Zuko trailed off sadly. "It may be a bit of a risk, but seeing as more guards know I'm here, say I killed him." Sokka said, looking towards the motionless body. Zuko came over to Sokka, closing the door behind him. Sokka sat on the bed as Prince Zuko took the boy's shoulders, pulling them closer. "It might work, but I wouldn't be allowed to keep you here. You would have to be put in the cells below deck." Zuko whispered quietly, almost regretfully. "That's alright, anything that will keep us both safe and hidden." Sokka said, leaning towards Zuko to kiss along his neck. Zuko moaned lightly, and nodded. "You will be kept in the cells, but I might be able to get you into my room every once in a while, saying I need to interrogate you…" Zuko said, tracing down Sokka's body with his hands. "Alright, shall we?" Sokka said, looking towards the fire bender. "In a minute…" Zuko leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss onto Sokka.

"Aang, where is Sokka?" Katara asked, looking frantically around for her brother. "I think he might've been captured." Aang said sadly, looking towards the sky as the bison cam into view. "We'll have to leave with out him at the moment. Zuko will have him, and we will plan to rescue him." Katara said bravely, coming up behind Aang. "Yes, we will get him back." Aang agreed, as Apa flew down and patiently waited as Katara and Aang climbed aboard to soar off into the afternoon sky.

"He was dead when I found him, and the water tribe boy had admitted to killing him." Prince Zuko explained to his Uncle and a few guards, holding Sokka tightly, and then throwing him to the ground. Sokka cringed, but knew it was for his own safety that they needed to do this. "We'll put him in the cells. Take him below deck." The older man said, nodding towards the guards. "Please, allow me." The Prince said, grabbing Sokka's shirt and pushing him down the hallway. Zuko came up close behind Sokka. "I'm truly sorry, I'll make it up to you later." Zuko whispered as the guards followed behind him. Sokka whispered back, "Don't worry about it, but you do owe me…" Zuko pushed Sokka down the hall again, making him stumble. The guards laughed as they watched the Prince push the hostage down the hall, then falling to the ground. "Get up you worthless water-tribe boy!" A guard said, moving in front of Zuko to kick Sokka hard in the ribs. Sokka cringed and Zuko looked worried. The experienced fire-bender pushed the guard aside and grabbed Sokka's hands, pulling him up sharply, as it seemed to the guards. "Move along." Zuko said, holding Sokka's hands behind his back.

Finally the door to the cells came into view and one of the guards opened the door. Sokka was pushed inside and Zuko followed, taking out a pair of keys and unlocking a cell door. He pushed Sokka into the cell and he landed hard on the concrete floor. The guards laughed again and Zuko joined, but gave a look of sorrow towards Sokka. Sokka knew that this look told all of Zuko's discouragement towards the plan they had: all the suffering that Sokka would go through, the toll he was taking at being held in these cells. Zuko would try to make it up to him, that he promised to Sokka with this one look.

"We'll take good care of him." One of the guards said happily, looking towards his companion. They both smiled and looked towards Zuko, as though wanting praise. Zuko just scowled and left, heading straight towards his room, ready to sulk and morn over Sokka's punishment.

"Now that you're left with us, we will have our fun punishing you…"The guard said, pulling out his own pair of keys and going to the door.

There was a knock on the door and Zuko raised his head heavily to look towards the door. "Yes?" Zuko said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Uncle Iroh opened the door to find his nephew lying on his bed as though sad about something. "We will be reaching the other side of the island soon, and we have men still searching on land. We haven't been able to find anything yet…"The old man trailed off, still looking at Zuko. "What is it?" Iroh asked, coming closer. "Nothing, I just wish we could find the Avatar soon." Zuko said, but was only telling half a lie. "No, I think it is much more…you can't fool this old fire-bender. Tell me, you wouldn't happen to like any one, do you?" Uncle Iroh asked slyly, smirking at his nephew. "WHAT! Uncle!" Zuko yelled, but tried to hide his blushing face. "Hm, so there is someone… I wonder…is it that girl Katara?" Iroh said doubtfully. "UNCLE! There is NO possible way I could like that little girl! (A.N.-no offence to those who like that couple though…)" Zuko yelled again, leaning forward like he was challenging his uncle. "Oh good….. any one from our own town? Who is she? What's her name?" His uncle wouldn't give up. Zuko paid extra attention to the words 'she' and 'her'. _Oh god, he thinks I like a girl …_Zuko thought worriedly. "Um, Uncle? I…" Zuko started, but the old man cut in. "Don't worry about it! I know you can deal with it on your own, but if you do need help with the lucky girl, don't be afraid to ask!" Uncle Iroh said as his final words and left the room. Zuko sighed. "Oh Uncle, I hope you won't be too mad at me…" "Mad at you? For liking someone? How absurd…" Zuko screamed and fell off his bed. "UNCLE! I THOUGHT YOU LEFT!" Zuko said, making a quick recovery and standing up. "Well, I just stood beside your door for a minute…" Iroh said, looking innocent.

"Yip yip!" Aang said happily, shaking the reins to make Apa fly faster. "How can you be so cheerful Aang? Sokka isn't here, he was kidnapped!" Katara said, looking down at the water as it passed by. "Don't worry, Zuko wouldn't get rid of Sokka, he needs him for a bargain. But we do need to get to them before Sokka is hurt." Aang said. Katara looked doubtful. "Wait, a bargain? You're not going to hand yourself over to Zuko are you?" She said. "Of course not! When we reach the next island, we're going to rescue Sokka without having to trade me for him." Aang looked very sure of himself. Katara smiled and looked back at the island they had just left as it grew smaller and smaller. Suddenly she spotted a ship coming around the edge of the island's border. "There! Zuko's ship! It's reached the other side of the island!" Katara shouted, pointing in the ship's direction. "They won't come after us for a little while longer until they know that we're not there, so we still have time to get farther from them." Aang said, shaking the reins again. "Yes, and then we will save Sokka. Uh…how ,exactly, are we going to save him? You do have a plan, don't you Aang?" Aang looked over to Katara. "Uh….well….I haven't really thought about it…" The Avatar said. "Oh! Aang! You need to think these things through!"

_**Well, there it is. I will update again soon, so keep those reviews coming!**_


	4. Punishment

Starthedemonhorse: I am really updating, I'm so proud of myself. **gets a cookie**. YAY! Treat for me! I'll write while I eat……….

Disclaimer: **still eating cookie** Oh sorry, I don't own.

Series: Avatar: The last Airbender

"I guess we can leave it at that…" One of the guards said as he locked the cell door. His companion laughed as he watched the water-tribe boy in the cell. "We can start over tomorrow…"

The next day…

Zuko walked down the hallway towards the cells: He couldn't wait to see Sokka and make up for his acts yesterday. The guards had finished searching the island late yesterday afternoon, and the ship had left to sail over the ocean. He walked down the stairs, almost bouncing with happiness at being able to see Sokka again, when suddenly his Uncle came out from around a corner. "Prince Zuko, there you are, I've been looking all over for you. We have found the Avatar on another island not too far from here. We will be able to stop there to restock on supplies and find the Avatar as well." Zuko growled with discouragement. _When will I be able to see Sokka?_ He questioned himself, turning around to follow his Uncle to the front of the ship.

Down in the cells, Sokka cringed in agony. The guards had beaten him and burned him until he could barely breathe. _Zuko, please help me…come help me…_

"If we hurry we can catch up to them." Iroh said, pointing far out into the ocean. "They won't be at the island for too long, so we will have to double our efforts at keeping up with them." Zuko looked far out over the ever-stretching ocean, waves small and meaningless against the sides of the great Fire-Nation ship. "Very good Uncle, we will reach there by night I presume?" Zuko said, never taking his eyes away from the blue waters. "Yes, or at least by the afternoon, if luck is with us." Iroh responded. Zuko smirked, making his Uncle look at him questionably. "I wouldn't mind going down to the cells to see our prisoner and give him a little visit…" Zuko trailed off as he took his eyes away from the water and turned towards the entrance to the boat.

_Zuko, it...it hurts... Please, please come help me..._

Zuko looked back, making sure no one was following him, and then sprinted down the hallways, eager to see his love.

"I think we've given him enough time to heal, besides, I had too much fun the last time…" The guard moved closer to the cell where Sokka was kept once more, cracking his knuckles menacingly. Sokka whimpered and tried to back away from the cell door. It did him no good as the guard took out the key and unlocked the metal barred door, coming in and heading for Sokka. _Zuko, please hurry…_

He turned the corner only to rush into a guard and fall to the ground. "You best be more careful, Prince Zuko." The guard said, holding out a hand to assist him. Zuko pushed it aside and got up on his own. "Thank-you." The fire-bender said before turning down another corridor towards his room. _I'll just change then I'll come for you Sokka…_ The Prince thought, going down the hall to his room and closing the door.

_They're hurting me Zuko..._

Zuko pulled out some better clothes and quickly changed.

The guard lifted his fist and it became aflame. Sokka cringed and pulled his legs up to his chest. He was too weak from the other day to fight back any more. The fist came into contact with Sokka's leg, blowing him across the concrete floor. He tried to get up, but couldn't move; his leg was surely broken. "Keep trying to escape, but you'll never make it…" The guard taunted, coming in for another blow, this time to Sokka's temple. He was crushed against the metal bars of the prison, blood seeping out from cuts to his head by the rusted bars. The next strike was a kick to Sokka's side, followed by another. The water-tribe boy winced as he felt his ribs crack and a splintering pain shot through his broken body. The guard pulled out a knife, already stained with blood from yesterday's acts, and threw it hard at Sokka, who held his arms over his head, only to have the knife thrust into his upper arm and making contact with bone. Sokka had no more breath to scream, and simply whimpered, grasping his bleeding arm and ripping the knife from his pale skin. The guard only laughed in amusement, taking up his fist again and prepared to throw it down on Sokka's open face.

_Zuko…I…I can't t-take much more of this…_

Prince Zuko leapt down the stairs, going faster than he had intended. He had suddenly felt some thing wrong, for no apparent reason, some thing bad that had to do with Sokka's safety. He knew it wasn't a good idea to put Sokka in the cells, but they had no choice.

_Zuko, why won't you come?_

The door to the holding cells was almost unhinged as Prince Zuko threw open the door and ran inside, to see a most horrible sight. Sokka was pushed up against the hard cold metal bars of the cell by his neck, the guard standing near him, with a knife stabbed into Sokka's stomach. Zuko was filled with anger and hatred, remorse and most of all sorrow: Sokka was being tortured, and it was his entire fault. Zuko lunged at the guard; his fist filled with the fire of anger, and plunged it into the guard, sending him colliding into the wall. The other guard looked at Zuko with wide eyes, and ran out of the room.

"Z-Zuko……What t-took you…. s…. so long?" Sokka gasped out, smiling slightly. "Sokka! Oh my god, I can't believe they did this to you…" Zuko fell down beside Sokka, looking at what damage had been done. "W-What about the…the other guard? He'll-" "Shh, stay quiet, you don't need to talk. He'll tell my Uncle, then I'll deal with him. Right now I don't care what happens to me, I just want you to be alright." Zuko ripped off the sleeves of his shirt, and wrapped them around Sokka's injuries. Soon Zuko's shirt was so torn up there was hardly any of it left. "Here, hold onto me, and I'll get you to my room where I can treat those more serious wounds." Zuko picked up Sokka with care and stepped out of the cell doors. He quietly stepped into the hallway, and miraculously made it to his bedroom with out being seen. "Now, you'll have to be quiet in order for no one to hear you, but this may hurt a bit…" Zuko gracefully started to help Sokka's wounds to heal; it was painful for Sokka, but he knew Zuko would care for him.

_There! This chapter is finally finished, now to start on the next…maybe…later..._

_Please leave reviews! _


	5. Final

Starthedemonhorse: I am an idiot. I'm so sorry… I just haven't been updating… **whimper** please forgive me? looks up with puppy-dog eyesI promise to update more...really! You can all beat me up in the reviews (everyone who **likes** yaoi, not flamers, they can go away)

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The last Airbender

Pondering

Chapter 5- final

Sokka moaned in pain: his wounds had been healing for a time, but none were very close to being completely gone. Zuko sat beside the boy, stroking his cheek gently and in a caring manner. "It wasn't your fault Zuko… please don't blame yourself…" Sokka said comfortingly, reaching his arm up towards his companion's eye to wipe away the oncoming tears. Zuko took Sokka's hand and stroked it; he was so ashamed of what had happened.

"I wish this had happened to me instead of you." Zuko whispered, kissing Sokka's cheek. The water tribe boy shook his head gravely. "I'd rather die than see you in my kind of condition." He said. "Then you must know how I feel." Zuko smiled lightly in a joking manner, and Sokka smiled as well. "Your Uncle… has he found out yet?" Sokka inquired, looking up to his lover. Zuko shook his head, and placed a small kiss on the other boy's forehead. "He's getting very suspicious about it though, and I don't know what we're going to do…" The tall fire bender sighed and rested his head against Sokka's shoulder gently and cried. Sokka held the prince close to him, hearing the painful sobs escape the thin lips.

"We'll get through, I know we will… we just need to find a way for us both to be safe…" Sokka drifted off, placing a small tender kiss on his lover's forehead, then on his lips. Zuko kissed back with all the passion he could muster at that moment, but there was always the sign of sadness, both knowing what had to be done, but not daring to say it. "I can return you to your sister and the Avatar at the next island, it's the only way…" Zuko said when they had broken apart. "Zuko, please… I never want to leave your side, please don't do this to me…" Sokka persisted, leaning close to the other boy. "Sokka, if I keep you here, you would have to come with me following the Avatar and every one on this ship would try to capture you and torture you… and if I come with you…" Zuko broke off, thinking of the said option, but shook his head. "No, my Uncle, he would be so disappointed, and I would be hated by my entire country, and my father… he of all people would ban me from those lands again.

"But, I would do that for you Sokka… I would face all the hatred of my country for you, and I think that is the best option we can take. I will deal with every thing else later, but I will travel with you, your sister and the Avatar. That will not stop the search for the Avatar though, and if no one knows of my whereabouts, then my Uncle will search for me as well, but I'm coming with you Sokka." Zuko smiled at the boy in his arms, who smiled gratefully up at the prince. "Zuko, I could stay here if…" "No. I will take the option of coming with you, we both know it is much safer for us, don't deny it."

The water tribe boy smiled, and kissed Zuko softly in his return thanks. "I'll owe you quite a bit now won't I?" Sokka joked to the fire bender, who grinned. "Oh you owe me a lot, and I won't leave you until you've payed up…" Zuko leaned down quickly and swiftly, kissing the boy beneath him passionately.

The two boys might've never found out, but Iroh had been standing near the door listening to the conversation with a gentle smile on his face, knowing now what his nephew had meant.

_Well, I guess I'll just leave it there, having the ending kinda to your own imagination. Not a lot of hard core love or anything, just a sweet troubled relationship, but trust me, I have other stories that will have a lot more luvin' than this! Tell me how you think it was please, I know really crappy ending, but I hate endings, so hard…._ XP

_Thanx for reading!_


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